1 week Ago By [email protected] (Dale Spridgeon)
Concerns have been raised over the falling numbers of Gwynedd youngsters who can swim. The "essential skill" can be the difference between life and death in a county with miles of coastline and rivers, a council meeting heard. The "shameful situation" had also seen some of the schools with the highest levels of deprivation in the county with the lowest levels of swimming skilled pupils.
The issue came to light during Cyngor Gwynedd's cabinet meeting, on Tuesday, April 8. Get all the latest Gwynedd news by signing up to our newsletter - sent every Tuesday Some schools had been "cutting back" on taking children for swimming lessons due to the financial "barrier" of increasing transport costs. Councillor Medwyn Hughes, the cabinet member for economy and community, said: "I am concerned that the number of pupils in Gwynedd who receive swimming lessons at our centres continues to fall.
"Pre-Covid, 85% of KS2 [Key Stage 2] children received swimming lessons in Byw'n Iach pools which met the national curriculum standard for basic swimming skills. By the end of summer 2024, we can be certain that only 54% of all KS2 children can swim." His report pointed to 30% of those assessed having "failed" as they had not had enough sessions, while 16% had not received an assessment as schools had not brought pupils to lessons.
His report said: "The concern is that some of the schools with the highest levels of deprivation in the county have the lowest levels of swimming skills." It also pointed to the National Curriculum "not specifically including swimming". There was now "a complete reliance" on individual schools to prioritise within the area of health and well-being.
The report added: "The financial situation had also led to a large number of schools cutting back on the provision with transport costs often reported as a particular barrier." Cllr Hughes told the meeting: "In response, I would like to inform the cabinet that I have agreed with the cabinet member for education to share details of school swimming rates with the governing bodies of Gwynedd schools and ask them to give further consideration to the risks and inequality across the county." Cllr Dewi Jones said: "Swimming is an essential skill for children and seeing some of the figures and statistics are quite frightening really, considering the fact that Gwynedd is a county with a high number of miles of coastline.
Swimming is an essential life skill to teach the children, it can be the difference between life and death. "I was pleased that Medwyn and the department have highlighted the issues and I look forward to working with Byw Yn Iach and the economy department in the coming months to see what we can do to tackle this situation. We often hear about the cost of living crisis, which puts a financial squeeze on households, they have to make difficult decisions.
"I do think an element of that has also had an impact on the swimming issue. As a local authority I hope we can step into the breach and put in support so we can see improvements in the situation over what is an essential skill." Council leader Nia Jeffrey added it was "terrible to be in this situation in Gwynedd, considering the miles of coastline and rivers we have".
"It is shameful that this affects the poorest children in our county. This is a priority matter," she said. The North Wales Live Whatsapp community for top stories and breaking news is live now - here’s how to sign up.
